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THE 

HUNGER  OF 

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BV  4510  .B45 

Bettex,  Fr  ed  eric,  1837 

1915. 
The  hunger  of  Israel 


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The  Hunger  of  Israel 

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1                THE 

1       HUNGER  OF 

f             ISRAEL 

f 

1                        FR.  BETTEX 

1 

i 

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1 

1 

i                   English  Translation  by  Andreas  Bard 

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=                                           , „„„„ 

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C/l 

1  i                    THE  GERMAN   LITERARY  BOARD 

i  1                                  BURLINGTON,    IOWA 

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Copyright  1915 

By     R.     NEUMANN 

BURLINGTON,   IOWA 


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The  Hunger  of  Israel 


great    people. 


EHOVAH  led  Israel  from 
Egypt  into  the  desert.  This 
mob  of  slaves,  enervated  and 
degraded  by  serfdom,  He 
aimed  to  train  into  a  truly 
He  first  increased  their 
troubles.  He  shook  them  out  of  that  lazy 
attitude  which  for  a  few  onions  and  Egyp- 
tian melons  would  willingly  give  a  hard 
day^s  labor.  Their  task  had  to  grow  so 
heavy,  the  sting  of  Pharaoh  so  sharp,  that 
out  of  the  deep  of  suffering  they  would  turn 
to  Jehovah  and  cry  for  help.  Is  not  this 
God's  method  of  dealing  with  us  today? 
Because  He  desires  to  come  to  our  assist- 
ance, He  so  intensifies  our  sorrows  and 
afflictions  that  we  are  forced  to  go  to  Him 
for  succor.  Only  when  we  recognize  our 
own  impotence,  we  can  appreciate  His  om- 
nipotence!    This  is  the  foundation  of  spir- 

3 


THE    hu:n^ger    of    iseael 

itual  progress.     Because  man  is  need  and 
God  is  help,  the  soul  looks  upward. 

The  Egyptians  had  been  severely  pun- 
ished for  whatever  wrongs  they  had  com- 
mitted against  the  chosen  people.  They 
had  paid  the  penalty  for  their  cruelty. 
Their  sensuality  terminated  in  disgusting 
diseases;  their  avarice  in  losses  and  fail- 
ures. Their  own  blood  had  to  atone  for  the 
blood  they  had  shed.  Through  a  series  of 
plagues,  deeply  significant  and  little  under- 
stood in  their  symbolic  character,  God  led 
them  at  last  into  utter  darkness,  the  com- 
mon lot  of  those  who  harden  their  hearts. 
Some  of  these  plagues  were  shared  by  the 
people  of  Israel;  the  usual  course  of  God's 
judgment  impressing  us  with  the  fact  that 
not  one  of  us  are  worthy  to  be  spared.  At 
other  times  God's  right  arm  was  stretched 
protectingly  over  His  people;  for  to  do  so 
is  His  glorious  privilege.  And  when  after 
many  disasters,  affecting  Egypt's  pride  and 
prosperity,  God  at  last  touched  the  very 
heart  of  Pharaoh  by  slaying  the  firstborn. 
He  symbolized   by  this  action  His  eternal 

4 


THE      HUNGER      OF      ISRAEL 

plan  of  salvation.  "All  of  you,"  He  meant 
to  say  to  Israel,  "together  with  your  first- 
born, are  worthy  of  death  through  your 
transgressions ;  but  I  will  give  my  own  Son, 
the  firstborn,  to  be  a  propitiation  for  your 
sins;  with  the  blood  of  the  innocent  lamb, 
which  is  a  symbol  of  the  blood  of  Christ, 
you  may  mark  the  door-posts.  I  will  con- 
sider this  your  plea  for  forgiveness  and 
accept  it.  But  those  who  refuse  this  token 
of  grace  will  surely  perish!" 

Thus  emigrated  about  six  hundred  thou- 
sand people,  amid  the  lamentations  of  their 
oppressors;  a  whole  people  rejoicing;  res- 
cued from  the  lash  of  the  taskmaster,  hence- 
forth to  be  free!  Through  the  magnificent 
row  of  palaces  and  temples,  of  obelisks 
and  sphinxes  flowed  on  the  stream  of  this 
mighty  throng.  While  torches  were  wafted 
to  and  fro,  excited  women  and  trembling 
children,  laden  with  gold  and  silver,  the 
hard-earned  fruit  of  their  labor,  followed  in 
the  ceaseless  train.  God  was  their  leader. 
Memorable  night !  That  Israel  should  never 
forget  it,   is  Jehovah's   warning.      Finally 

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THE      HUNGER      OF      ISRAEL 

the  stream  is  ebbing  out.  The  Egyptians 
remain  behind  with  their  dead — stupefied, 
horror-struck.  Like  lightning  ruin  had 
come  to  them.  A  whole  nation  followed 
two  old  men  into  the  wilderness,  the  un- 
known— by  faith! 

Slavery,  long  continued,  makes  cowards. 
Israel  needed  to  be  inspired  with  courage. 
This  God  planned  to  do  by  a  mighty  sal- 
vation, impressive  and  distinct.  He  leads 
Israel  into  the  sea,  into  apparent  destruc- 
tion, and  while  the  vast  waters  stretch  out 
before  them,  they  notice  behind  them,  like 
an  approaching  storm,  the  horses  and  char- 
iots of  Pharaoh.  Again  there  are  voices  of 
fear  and  despair  and  finally  a  loud  appeal 
to  Jehovah.  History  tells  us,  how  might- 
ily God  came  to  their  rescue. 

Wonderful  indeed  Jehovah^s  help  against 
the  iron  wheels  of  Egyptian  chariots  which 
were  about  to  crush  the  women  and  chil- 
dren loaded  down  with  booty.  Over  the 
rising  surf  sounds  the  song  of  Moses  and 
Miriam :  ^^Sing  to  the  Lord ;  horse  and  rider 
He  has  dashed  into  the  sea!" 

6 


THE      HUNGEE      OF      ISRAEL 

Thus  God  placed  in  His  wise  pro\ddence 
at  the  threshold  of  Jewish  history  this  man- 
ifestation of  His  visible  presence.  Israel 
should  remember  at  all  times  that  it  had 
an  all-powerful  Protector.  At  dead  of 
night,  in  the  midst  of  the  Red  Sea,  aye, 
amid  the  very  pangs  of  death  was  born  the 
chosen  people  of  God.  In  the  morning  it 
stood  on  the  shore,  hearing  the  call  to  the 
new  life ;  it  gazed  upon  the  illimitable  des- 
ert and  discerned  with  eyes  of  faith  the 
promised  land  of  liberty  beyond. 

And  now  the  Supreme  Pedagogue  pro- 
ceeds with  the  education  of  this  barbarous 
people,  composed  of  irreligious,  undisci- 
plined and  lawless  slaves.  The  time  of 
training  is  short,  especially  when  we  con- 
sider the  mighty  aim  of  the  Most  High. 
His  plans,  conceived  before  the  foundation 
of  the  world,  are  to  be  imparted  to  a  race 
which  spectre-like  emerges  from  eternity 
and  as  mysteriously  disappears.  God  wills 
the  annihilation  of  sin  and  sorrow.  With 
this  point  in  view  a  fixed  number  of  human 
souls  is  to  be  created.     Within  a  period  of 

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THE      HUNGER      OF      ISRAEL 

fifty  years,  the  average  life-time  of  a  gen- 
eration, sixteen  hundred  million  human 
beings  appear  on  the  earth,  to  give  way  in 
turn  to  another  generation.  Where  are  now 
the  multitudes,  aye,  where  is  a  single  one 
of  the  millions  who  a  hundred  years  ago 
were  men  of  affairs  and  acted  as  if  they 
owned  the  world  forever?  And  again,  after 
a  century,  ( but  a  stroke  of  the  pendulum  of 
the  celestial  clock  which  measures  the  hours 
of  suns  requiring  thirty  million  years  for  a 
single  revolution)  where  will  they  be  who 
at  this  present  hour  stir  on  the  face  of  the 
earth  with  their  commerce  and  industry, 
their  prayers  and  blasphemies,  their  vices 
and  virtues?  Gone  like  a  dream!  '^Thou 
turnest  men  to  destruction;  again  Thou 
sayest,  come  again,  ye  children  of  men.'' 
But  in  this  brief  period  between  two  eter- 
nities is  to  be  decided  the  great  issue  of 
immortal  souls.  Will  they  rise  to  the  light 
or  sink  into  utter  darkness? 

God  begins  the  education  of  His  people 
by  confronting  them  with  the  very  ques- 
tion of  existence.     He  causes  them  (after 

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THE      HUNGEK      OF      ISRAEL 

the  manner  of  every  new-born  babe)  to  be 
hungry.  Hunger  is  the  mysterious  long- 
ing for  food,  strength,  sufftciency,  exper- 
ienced by  every  creature.  "The  whole  cre- 
ation groaneth,"  says  St.  Paul;  and  the 
whole  creation  is  hungry.  The  earth  is 
hungry  for  rain,  the  fire  for  combustibles, 
the  plant  for  water,  the  flower  for  the  sun- 
beam. And  thus  the  human  body  hungers 
for  food,  as  the  mind  hungers  for  thought, 
the  soul  for  faith,  hope  and  love;  and  the 
spirit  for  the  good,  the  true  and  the  beau- 
tiful, for  God !  It  is  a  grand,  profound  and 
sobering  fact  that  we  have  no  life  in  our- 
selves; we  cannot  exist  independently;  we 
are  in  constant,  pressing  need  of  nourish- 
ment without  which  we  should  instantly 
wilt  and  die.  Oh  the  depth  of  our  impo- 
tence and  poverty!  We  must  have  food; 
seek  some  suitable  nourishment  or  we  are 
instantly  doomed.  Whether  he  wander 
through  the  desert  or  travel  the  seas, 
whether  he  dwell  on  the  height  of  the  moun- 
tain or  grovel  in  the  depth  of  the  earth,  the 
child  of  dust  is  ever    asking   the    helpless 

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THE      HUNGEE      OF      ISRAEL 

question,  ^What  shall  I  eat;  what  shall  I 
drink;  wherewithal  shall  I  be  clothed?'^ 
How  shall  I  support  this  little  loam-cottage 
of  mine  to  keep  it  from  tumbling  down? 
How  shall  I  fill  the  void  within  me  that  I 
may  gain  strength  and  vigor  for  my  daily 
task?  How  can  I  cover  my  nakedness  and 
adorn  my  body,  that  I  may  not  stand  un- 
covered in  all  my  humble  nothingness? 
Aye,  there  is  none  that  would  have  his  fel- 
lowmen  see  him  as  he  really  is,  his  denuded 
soul,  his  naked  self! 

Why  does  the  Creator  force  his  creatures 
to  be  ever  hungry?  Easily  He  could  have 
averted  this  condition.  By  a  slight  change 
of  our  organs  and  by  combining  air  and 
food  we  might  have  inhaled  whatever  nour- 
ishment we  required.  But  God  wants  us 
to  be  hungry.  Why?  First  of  all  to  teach 
us  humility.  A  father,  discovering  the  fa- 
vorite vice  of  his  son,  will  aim  to  eradicate 
it.  Now  the  fundamental  sin  of  the  human 
race  is  pride,  the  very  thing  that  drove 
Satan  from  heaven.  It  was  pride  that 
caused  Adam  and  Eve  to  want  to  be  like 

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THE      HUNGER      OF      ISRAEL 


God  and  to  know  good  and  evil.  They  ate 
of  the  forbidden  fruit;  and  ever  since 
hunger  has  seized  the  human  race.  Hunger 
for  food  and  knowledge,  for  pleasure  and 
riches  and  art  and  science  and  honor  and 
happiness.  Hunger!  But  because  God's 
punishment  is  also  grace  and  discipline, 
this  hunger  is  to  train  us  in  humility. 
Mortifying  indeed  that  the  same  people 
who  are  continuously  bragging  about  their 
scientific  and  commercial  triumphs  have  to 
look  for  something  to  eat  every  few  hours ! 
Humiliating,  too,  the  hard  labor  we  have 
to  perform  to  gain  our  little  share  of  the 
daily  bread!  We  should  grow  humble  in 
the  presence  of  this  everlasting  hunger  and 
more  humble  at  the  thought  of  the  thou- 
sands "whose  belly  is  their  god"  and  whose 
aim  in  life  seems  to  reach  no  higher  than 
to  eat  as  much  and  as  good  as  the  world 
affords. 

And  just  as  our  physical  hunger  bears 
daily  witness  to  the  fact  that  we  are  dust 
and  must  return  to  dust,  so  the  hunger  of 
the  soul  for  spiritual  food  proves  that  there 

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THE      HUNGEE      OF      ISRAEL 

is  a  divine  breath  within  us  which  is  in- 
satiable, because  it  is  severed  from  its  orig- 
inal source.  In  vain  we  try  to  feed  our 
soul  with  the  fruits  of  this  world,  those 
wild,  sour,  bitter  and  indigestible  fruits 
of  the  cursed  acre  (Matth.  13  :38)  on  which 
we  live.  This  experience  has  been  made 
by  the  wisest  and  best  of  men.  It  is  con- 
tinually being  made  by  the  millions  who 
suicidally  throw  their  lives  away.  Yet 
ever  again  Satan  lures  us  with  tempting 
bubbles  to  vain  repetitions  of  our  useless 
search,  while  multitudes  follow.  Pathetic 
sight  to  see  human  beings  in  greedy  pur- 
suit of  gold  and  honor,  of  fine  houses  and 
gorgeous  clothes.  Moths  flying  into  the 
flame! 

Jehovah  caused  His  people  to  hunger. 
Was  it  necessary?  Why,  even  on  the  very 
first  day  God  might  have  rained  quail  and 
manna  from  the  sky.  But  He  did  not  do 
that.  The  reason  for  the  delay  is  given  by 
the  aged  prophet:  "Remember,  Israel,  the 
way  which  the  Lord,  thy  God,  led  thee  these 
forty  years  in  the  wilderness,    to    humble 

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THE      HUNGEE      OF      ISRAEL 

thee,  and  to  prove  thee,  to  know  what 
was  in  thine  heart,  whether  thou  w^ouldest 
keep  His  commandments  or  not"  (Deuter- 
onomy 8:2). 

^'Remember,  Israel,  the  way  which  the 
Lord,  thy  God,  led  thee."  Yes,  God  leads. 
With  much  thought  and  worry  and  anxiety 
we  seem  to  choose  our  own  path.  But  as 
a  matter  of  fact,  God  leads  us.  We  are  not 
tossed  on  the  sea  of  chance.  Whether  we 
will  or  not,  we  are  being  led  through  the 
wilderness  of  the  world.  Those  that  go 
willingly  reach  the  promised  land,  where 
they  shall  "eat  bread  without  scarceness" 
(Deut.  8:10).  But  they  who  remain  de- 
fiant, must  perish  in  the  desert  of  life.  But 
even  the  just,  like  Joshua  and  Caleb,  must 
cross  the  mlderness  for  a  period  of  forty 
years  and  share  in  the  guilt  of  the  people. 

Jehovah  causes  thee  to  suffer  hunger,  oh 
Israel,  to  "know  what  is  in  thine  heart." 
Is  not  the  heart  known  to  God,  "whose  eyes 
are  everywhere  beholding  good  and  evil" 
( Prov.  15 :3 )  ?  Yes,  but  God  requires  man- 
ifestations. 

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THE      HUNGER      OF      ISRAEL 

To  try  us,  to  know  what  is  in  us,  God 
sends  us  weal  and  woe.  To  know  what  is 
in  your  heart  He  causes  hail  to  destroy 
your  wheat-crop  and  mars  your  hopes,  and 
breaks  your  trees  under  their  load  of  fruit. 
For  this  reason  you  inherit  or  acquire 
riches ;  for  this  reason  you  earn  but  a  mere 
crust  for  your  daily  task.  For  this  reason 
He  causes  your  marriage  to  be  happy  or 
unhappy,  your  children  to  be  good  or  bad. 
For  this  reason  you  lose  your  only  child, 
a  beautiful  daughter  or  a  promising  son — 
God  wishing  to  see  if  you  ^^hate  your  life 
for  His  sake."  "He  maketh  thee  ride  on 
the  high  places  of  the  earth  and  maketh 
thee  to  suck  honey  out  of  the  rock  to  see, 
if  Jeshurun  waxed  fat  and  kicked  and  for- 
sook the  God  who  made  him  and  lightly 
esteemed  the  Rock  of  his  salvation''  (Deut. 
32:13).  "What  is  man,  that  thou  should- 
est  magnify  him?  and  that  thou  shouldest 
set  thine  heart  upon  him!"   (Job  7:17.) 

Life  is  a  continuous  examination  from 
cradle  to  grave.  God  tries  the  soul  in 
myriad  ways.     He  ascertains  how  the  crea- 

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THE      HUNGER      OF      ISRAEL 

ture  is  related  to  its  Creator.  Are  we  self- 
centered  or  God-centered?  Do  we  recog- 
nize and  worship  our  Maker  or  do  we  side 
with  Satan,  the  enemy  of  God?  If  such 
be  not  the  purpose  of  life,  our  existence 
with  all  its  dole  and  delight,  its  ups  and 
downs,  has  no  meaning  whatsoever. 

^^God  makes  manifest  what  is  hidden" 
( Dan.  2 :  22 )  and  Christ  emphasizes  the 
same  law  when  He  says  ^^there  is  nothing 
hidden  that  shall  not  be  revealed"  (Matth. 
10:26).  God  makes  the  seed  to  bud  be- 
neath the  soil,  but  He  also  causes  it  to  come 
into  the  light  and  produce  a  plant.  Should 
we  receive  a  revelation  of  the  world  in 
its  present  condition  we  should  see  a  con- 
fused image  of  varied  influences,  divine 
thoughts  mingling  with  the  schemes  of 
Satan  and  with  the  designs  of  unbelief. 
Aye,  should  you  try  to  empty  your  own 
heart,  you  would  find  it  a  veritable  ocean 
of  hatred,  sordidness  and  multitudinous 
sins. 

Thus  we  comprehend  the  meaning  of  our 
hunger,  and  of  the  work  and  labor  we  have 

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THE      HUNGEE      OF      ISEAEL 

to  perform  to  gratify  such  a  hunger.  The 
choice  of  our  food,  our  greed  or  our  grati- 
tude— all  of  this  reveals  what  "is  in  our 
hearts"  and  whether  we  desire  to  "keep 
God's  commandments"  (Deut.  8:2).  Hu- 
mility and  manifestation,  the  twofold  pur- 
pose of  life,  of  which  fools  and  philosophers 
alike  know  nothing.  Recently  a  noted 
writer  exclaimed :  "It  is  only  too  true  that 
human  life  has  no  meaning!"  Science  is 
unable  to  solve  the  problem.  Your  com- 
merce and  your  industry,  your  colleges  and 
your  laboratories,  your  microscopes  and 
telescopes  look  for  this  truth  in  vain.  To 
the  universal  question,  "Why  was  I  born," 
there  is  no  answer.  And  this  fact  accounts 
for  the  hunger  of  the  heart  that  cannot  be 
satisfied.  Oh  well  for  the  Christian  who 
has  a  God  not  only  causing  hunger  but  also 
providing  food!  When  Israel  hungered 
and  murmured,  God  said,  "I  have  heard 
your  murmuring,"  and  He  made  manna  to 
fall  from  the  sky.  And  He  does  the  same 
today. 

"The  whole  congregation  of  the  children 

16 


THE      HUNGER      OF      ISRAEL 

of  Israel  murmured  against  Moses  and 
Aaron  in  the  wilderness''  (Ex.  2:1G).  Does 
not  this  also  apply  to  us?  We  growl  and 
groan,  and  fuss  and  fret  and  worry,  because 
this  wish  has  not  been  gratified,  this  hope 
proven  false,  this  loss  impoverished  us,  this 
sickness  interfered  with  our  plans.  The 
hand  of  rebellion  we  would  raise  against 
the  Most  High,  because  our  loved  one  has 
died.  Even  about  the  weather  we  have  our 
misgivings.  In  short,  the  whole  congrega- 
tion is'  murmuring.  Let  us  recall  the 
prophet's  advice :  ^^Wherefore  does  a  living 
man  complain?  Let  everyone  complain 
about  his  sins!"  (Lam.  3:39.)  Aye,  if  we 
could  look  deep  enough,  we  should  find  that 
sin  is  the  very  root  of  our  sorrow  and  dis- 
content. It  was  a  matter  of  gratitude  for 
the  Jews  to  consider  their  emancipation 
from  the  tyranny  of  Pharaoh.  How  they 
had  longed  to  be  freed  therefrom !  But  all 
of  this  is  forgotten.  Now  they  only  talk 
of  the  fleshpots  of  Egypt,  ^^the  fish  they  ate 
freely,  the  cucumbers,  and  the  melons  and 
the  leeks  and  the  onions,  and  the  garlick" 

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iiiiiiiiiiiMinniiiniiiniiiiiiiiiiMiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii iiiiiiiiiiiniiiiiiiiiiiiliillllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllN 

THE      HUNGER      OF      ISRAEL 

(Num.  11:5).  And  we  are  not  any  better. 
Even  to  good  Christians  the  devil  will  pre- 
sent a  rosy  picture  of  sin  and  its  charms, 
carefully  concealing  from  their  memory  the 
hours  of  disgust  and  despondency  which 
followed  its  gratification. 

The  whole  congregation  murmured 
against  Moses  and  Aaron.  Moses,  the  leg- 
islator, is  the  State;  Aaron,  the  high  priest, 
his  brother,  the  Church.  Even  against 
these  two  authorities,  which  should  ever 
be  harmonious  in  the  world's  affairs, 
the  congregation  murmurs.  ^What  are  we 
that  you  murmur  against  us?"  This  is  the 
question  of  Moses  and  Aaron.  "Your  mur- 
muring is  not  against  us;  it  is  against  the 
Lord,  your  God !''  ( Ex.  16 :7. )  They  should 
have  murmured  against  the  sons  of  Aaron 
who  carried  desecrating  fire  into  the  sanc- 
tuary of  the  Lord,  provoking  His  wrath. 
This  concerns  them  not.  But  when  the 
question  of  the  daily  bread  becomes  trouble- 
some, they  murmur,  rise  in  revolt,  rail 
against  the  Almighty  and  declare :  "Would 
we  had  perished  in  Egypt  by  the  hand  of 

18 


THE      HUNGER      OF      ISRAEL 

the  Lord!''  Forgotten  God's  unceasing 
kindness,  His  glorious  miraeles,  His  pro- 
tecting hand,  the  march  through  the  Red 
Sea  and  the  destruction  of  Pharaoh's  host; 
forgotten,  too,  the  triumphal  song  of  Mir- 
iam! We  hear  naught  save  the  cry  for 
death  of  a  defiant  and  disheartened  race. 

Was  it  wrong  for  Israel,  tortured  by  the 
tooth  of  hunger,  to  cry  to  God?  No.  God 
says :  "Call  to  me  in  thy  distress,  and  I  will 
hear  thee  and  thou  shalt  praise  me"  (Psalm 
50:15).  But  in  humility  they  should  have 
gone  to  Moses  and  Aaron,  saying :  "Pray  for 
us  to  the  Lord  lest  we  perish  in  the  wilder- 
ness, we  and  our  children!" 

Will  God  exterminate  His  thankless 
people?  Will  He  send  down  upon  them 
destructive  lightning  or  command  the  earth 
to  swallow  them?  No.  The  gracious  Lord, 
whose  patience  is  infinite,  simply  says:  "I 
have  heard  your  murmuring;  I  will  make 
manna  to  fall  from  heaven."  Day  and 
night  the  blasphemies  of  the  human  race 
ascend  to  God;  their  murmuring  and  curs- 
ing, their  utterances  of  ingratitude.     And 

19 


iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii iiiiiiiiiiiiiiii niiiiiiiiii iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii nil iiiiiiiiiiiK 

THE      HUNGER      OF      ISRAEL 

ever  again  God  says :  ^^I  will  make  bread  to 
fall  from  heaven."  Where  is  there  a  God 
like  our  God,  forgiving  our  transgressions? 
He  maketh  manna  to  rain  from  the  sky. 
The  fields  provide  for  multitudes  of  cattle 
clover  and  grass,  and  for  millions  of  people 
wheat  and  fruit  and  wine  and  oil.  Do  we 
pay  attention  to  this?  We  thank  Him  not, 
but  murmur! 

"And  Moses  and  Aaron  spake  to  the 
whole  congregation:  At  even  ye  shall  eat 
flesh  and  in  the  morning  ye  shall  be  filled 
with  bread,  because  the  Lord  has  heard 
your  murmuring"  ( Ex.  16 :  12 ) .  "And  the 
glory  of  the  Lord  appeared  in  a  cloud." 
Thrice  the  people  murmured  and  thrice  ap- 
peared the  glory  of  the  Lord,  the  Sheshinay 
visible  to  all,  radiant  with  incomparable 
beauty,  as  if  to  convey  the  warning:  "Ho 
not  try  my  patience  too  long.  Who  are  ye 
that  ye  argue  with  the  Lord  of  Glory?" 

Cooling  night  descended  from  the  starry 
sky  upon  the  burning  sands  of  the  desert. 
The  careworn,  weary  people  had  fallen 
asleep.     Many  a  restless  pilgrim  was  kept 

20 


THE      HUNGEK      OF      ISRAEL 

awake  by  the  thought:  Where  shall  we 
find  bread  on  the  morrow  and  the  day  after, 
and  the  many  days  we  are  to  spend  in  the 
wilderness.  "And  in  the  morning  the  dew 
lay  round  about  the  host.  And  when  the 
dew  was  gone  up,  behold,  upon  the  face  of 
the  wilderness  there  lay  a  small,  round 
thing,  as  small  as  the  hoar  frost  on  the 
ground'^   (Ex.  16:13-14). 

Everything  connected  with  the  heavenly 
bread  is  tyjDical  and  symbolic.  Says  St. 
Paul:  "All  these  things  happened  unto 
them  for  ensamples;  and  they  are  written 
for  our  admonition''  (1  Cor.  10-11).  God 
works  in  the  very  silence  of  night.  He  that 
neither  sleeps  nor  slumbers  cares  for  the 
helpless  human  race  even  w^hile  they  sleep. 
He  sees  to  it  that  we  have  bread  in  the 
morning.  This  is  true  also  in  a  spiritual 
sense.  While  we  are  absorbed  in  our  self- 
ish and  material  interests,  God  stirs  in  our 
souls  the  longing  for  di\4ner  things  and 
provides  for  our  religious  hunger  the  true 
manna  from  heaven,  which  is  Christ,  the 
Lord.      Aye,  God  moves  in  a  mysterious 

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IIMI IM Illlllllllllll Illlllllll I I II lllllillllllllllllNIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll^ 

THE      HUN GEE      OF      ISRAEL 

way.  This  appears  everywhere  in  creation. 
In  the  very  darkness  of  the  ground  the 
chrysalis  is  being  transformed  into  a  but- 
terfly and  the  grain  of  wheat  evolved  into 
the  plant.  The  root  of  the  oak  selects  and 
rejects,  even  under  the  ground,  the  diverse 
forces  which  afterwards  develop  into  the 
great  and  glorious  tree  the  branches  of 
which  give  lodging  to  the  birds,  shade  to 
the  cattle  and  shelter  to  the  storm-lost  pil- 
grim. 

"A  small,  round  thing,  as  small  as  the 
hoar  frost  on  the  ground."  Note  the  ap- 
parent insignificance  of  this  miracle.  God 
provides  for  us  without  violent  manifesta- 
tions in  thunder  and  lightning.  Silently 
the  great  harvest  is  being  prepared  for  the 
hungering  race. 

^^And  when  the  people  of  Israel  saw  it, 
they  said  one  to  another.  It  is  manna,  for 
they  wist  not  what  it  was"  (Ex.  16:15). 
We,  too,  ask  this  question  when  God  makes 
bread  to  rain  upon  us  from  the  sky.  En- 
forced rest,  a  medical  retreat,  caused  by 
some  accident;  associations  which  do  not 

22 


THE      HUNGER      OF      ISRAEL 

particularly  please  us ;  new  relatives ;  a  call 
to  new  fields  and  localities ;  interruption  of 
cherished  studies  —  there  are  hundreds  of 
gracious  things  that  happen  for  the  ad- 
vancement of  our  souls  which  we  fail  to 
trace  back  to  the  Di\dne  Author.  We  ask 
"Man-hu/'  what  does  it  mean?  The  same 
God  who  provides  for  our  physical  hunger, 
is  also  supplying  the  needs  of  the  soul, 
sometimes  through  joy,  sometimes  through 
sorrow.  Even  our  punishment  is  manna. 
"And  Moses  said  unto  them.  This  is  the 
bread  which  the  Lord  hath  given  you  to 
eat.  Gather  of  it  every  man  according  to 
his  eating,  an  omer  for  every  man.  And 
when  they  did  mete  it  with  an  omer  he  that 
gathered  much  had  nothing  over,  and  he 
that  gathered  little,  had  no  lack :  they  gath- 
ered every  man  according  to  his  eating'^ 
(Ex.  16:15-18).  We  are  reminded  of  the 
accumulation  of  spiritual  food  during  con- 
ferences, religious  seasons  and  special  oc- 
casions, when  we  aim  to  gather  a  super- 
abundance of  manna.  But  God  is  a  God 
of  Moderation.     Hebrew  wisdom  calls  Him 

23 


iiiniiiiiiiii iiiiiiiiiii II I iiiiiiiiniiiiiniiiininiiiiiiiiiiiiiinininnnniiinniiiiiiniiiiiiiiiiiniiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiN^ 

THE      HUNGER      OF      ISRAEL 

UUIU 

Elshaddaij  which  means  ^^The  Temperate.'^ 
He  provides  a  certain  quantity  for  every 
soul  and  no  more.  We  receive  our  omer, 
no  matter  how  much  we  revel  in  spiritual 
transports.  The  poor  in  spirit,  apparently 
neglected,  will  also  receive  his  share.  God 
wills  moderation.  Whether  His  children 
are  long-lived  or  short-lived,  live  in  huts  or 
palaces,  have  joy  or  sorrow,  the  Heavenly 
Father  provides  exactly  according  to  their 
needs.  His  calculations  are  accurate.  There 
is  never  a  drop  too  much  or  too  little, 
though  there  be  those  who  say  "too  much" 
and  others  who  murmur  "still  more.'' 

"And  Moses  said.  Let  no  man  leave  of  it 
till  the  morning.  Notwithstanding  they 
hearkened  not  unto  Moses"  ( Ex.  16 :19-20 ) . 
When  shall  we  appreciate  the  lesson  of  the 
commonplace  and  obey  its  divine  injunc- 
tion? Is  it  without  significance  that  God 
withdraws  His  sunlight  every  night,  forc- 
ing us  in  this  way  to  close  the  day's  labor 
and  to  seek  rest?  Is  it  well  that  we  should 
fret  and  worry  about  the  morrow?  Should 
we  not  rather  listen  to    Him   who,    while 

24 


THE      HUNGER      OF      ISRAEL 

bearing  every  burden,  assured  His  disciples 
that  "sufficient  unto  the  day  is  the  evil 
thereof?'^  "Cast  your  burdens  upon  me," 
He  says,  "I  am  with  you  always!"  It  is 
enough  for  you  to  bear  the  responsibility 
of  the  hour.  I  know  what  tomorrow  T\ill 
bring  forth  and  I  will  help  you  tomorrow 
as  I  help  you  today.  "Who  by  taking 
thought  can  add  one  cubit  unto  his  stat- 
ure?" And  still  we  continue  to  give  idle 
thought  to  the  possibilities  of  the  future. 
Why?  Because  we  choose  to  do  so.  And 
if  there  be  no  reasonable  causes  for  care, 
we  find  unreasonable  ones.  In  this  way  we 
lose  the  pri\dlege  which  God  gives  us  and 
are  tormented  by  worries,  utterly  foolish 
and  useless,  about  the  unknown  troubles  of 
the  morrow.  Because  our  hearts  are 
empty  and  void,  estranged  from  God,  we 
take  thought  for  a  multitude  of  things,  first 
of  all  for  ourselves,  then  for  our  children, 
for  the  progress  of  missions,  for  rights  of 
women,  for  humane  societies,  prohibition 
movements,  etc.  Surely  God  could  never 
accomplish  a  thing,  if  we  did  not  aid  Him 
with  our  cares!         25 


illllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIH 

THE      HUIS^GER      OF      ISRAEL 

And  Jehovah  said:  The  people  shall 
gather  a  certain  rate  every  day,  that  I  may 
prove  them,  whether  they  will  walk  in  my 
law  or  not.  But  they  did  not  obey.  ^'Some 
of  them  left  of  it  unto  the  morning  and  it 
bred  worms  and  stank"  ( Ex.  16 :20 ) .  How 
many  well  meaning  people,  even  Christians, 
make  arrangements  for  the  well-being  of 
their  physical  or  spiritual  children!  They 
settle  estates  upon  them,  secure  positions 
for  them.  They  see  to  it  that  their  daugh- 
ters are  well  married  and  that  their  sons 
enter  into  profitable  business  connections. 
They  leave  legacies  for  good  institutions 
and  appoint  able  successors  for  the  place 
they  have  to  vacate.  Assured  that  they 
have  laid  up  a  good  supply  of  manna  for 
the  morrow,  they  step  into  their  graves. 
And  lo,  during  the  night  ^'it  bred  worms 
and  stank." 

Every  man  according  to  his  conscience. 
One  is  called  upon  to  do  some  quick,  aggres- 
sive work  for  God  and  His  kingdom,  his  is 
the  mission  of  Paul.  Another  has  to  give 
forty  years  to  the  sheep  of  Jethro,  as  did 

26 


THE      HUNGER      OF      ISRAEL 

Moses,  or  spend  "a  long  time/'  like  Elijah, 
the  prophet,  serving  the  widow  of  Sarepta. 
^^Lord,  thy  will  be  done.  Thou  knowest 
best.  I  can  only  go  one  step  at  a  time." 
On  this  subject  a  great  deal  has  been  writ- 
ten and  we  may  dismiss  it  without  further 
comment. 

For  the  Sabbath  the  people  were  told  to 
gather  a  double  quantity.  On  that  day 
manna  was  found  without  worms.  This 
shows  that  it  was  not  the  nature  of  the 
bread  to  spoil.  If  it  did  spoil,  the  cause 
must  be  found  in  the  will  of  God.  It  is 
true  that  there  are  what  we  call  ^'laws  of 
nature."  But  these  laws  have  no  existence 
apart  from  Him  in  whom  all  things  live 
and  move  and  have  their  being.  The  Bible 
calls  those  fools  who  say  "there  is  no  God" 
( Psalm  53 :2 ) .  And  must  not  our  idle  talk 
of  the  "laws  of  nature"  seem  like  utter  folly 
to  the  angels?  Some  of  our  modern  phi- 
losophers admit  that  somehow  these  laws 
were  arranged  by  God,  but  having  been 
arranged  they  pursued  an  independent 
course.     Who  is  this  "Nature,"  pray?    Is 

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THE      HUNGER      OF      ISRAEL 

it  the  mother  of  us  all,  looking  after  her 
children  with  loving  care?  So  they  say. 
But  others  have  come  to  the  conclusion  that 
^^Nature"  is  an  old  idiot  which  to  fill  the 
unconscious  nausea  of  her  eternity,  created 
generations  in  order  to  destroy  them  again. 
Unfortunately  we  cannot  discuss  this  fab- 
ulous personality,  inasmuch  as  we  do  not 
even  know  her  and  almost  incline  to  the 
belief  that  she  does  not  exist  at  all.  We 
only  know  the  creation  of  Almighty  God 
who  rules  His  universe  according  to  His 
unsearchable  wisdom.  In  His  presence  the 
twenty-four  elders  cast  away  their  crowns 
and  exclaim:  ^'Thou  art  worthy,  O  Lord, 
to  receive  glory  and  honor  and  power;  for 
Thou  hast  created  all  things  and  for  Thy 
pleasure  they  are  and  were  created''  (Rev. 
4:11). 

"And  it  was  like  coriander  seed,  white; 
and  the  taste  of  it  was  like  wafers  made 
with  honey"  (Ex.  16:31).  This  is  a  clear 
and  distinct  description,  given,  no  doubt, 
to  counteract  any  later  criticisms  of  unbe- 
lief.    It  proves  that  manna  was  not  a  bread 

28 


THE      HUNGER      OF      ISRAEL 

of  the  imagination  and  it  refutes  the 
charges  that  it  consisted  of  a  ^'perfectly 
natural''  growth.  The  report  says  that  it 
was  lying  all  about  the  camp,  in  little  white 
pieces,  tasting  like  wafers  made  with  honey. 
It  also  says  that  it  came  in  such  quantities 
that  it  amply  sufficed  for  the  hunger  of  an 
entire  people.  This  means  at  least  one 
billion  pounds  a  day,  reproduced  every 
morning  for  a  period  of  forty  years.  In 
the  light  of  these  facts  how  absurd  appears 
the  rationalistic  theory  that  manna  was 
merely  a  common  shrub  growing  on  the 
peninsula  of  Sinai!  The  so-called  mana- 
weed  is  neither  small  nor  round  nor  white 
nor  nourishing.  Its  entire  production 
amounts  to  about  forty  thousand  pounds 
per  year  and  would,  therefore,  not  even 
suffice  for  a  single  meal! 

Note  also  the  naturalness  of  this  divine 
and  miraculous  manifestation.  Ever  and 
again  we  are  assured  that  the  Bible  does 
not  claim  to  be  a  scientific  book.  This  is 
correct,  inasmuch  as  we  are  not  to  get  in- 
formation   about    botany    and    astronomy 

29 


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THE      HUNGEE      OF      ISRAEL 


from  the  reading  of  the  Bible.  Studies  re- 
lating to  a  number  of  plants  or  a  species 
of  animals,  to  the  course  of  the  stars,  etc., 
are  left  to  our  scholars  who  can  divulge 
their  wisdom  with  more  or  less  accuracy 
and  more  or  less  show  of  importance.  But 
in  a  deeper  and  infinitely  more  valuable 
sense  the  Bible  (which  is  the  record  of  the 
Holy  Spirit  who  Himself  co-operated  at  the 
creation  of  the  universe)  permits  us  to  look 
into  the  underlying  principles  of  nature, 
ever  revealing  the  miracle  in  the  ^'law''  and 
the  ^law"  in  the  miracle.  It  teaches  us 
that  the  miracle  is  not  unnatural,  as  viewed 
in  fairy  tales,  but  supernatural,  that  is, 
divinely  natural.  God  could  have  kept  the 
people  of  Israel  alive  without  any  food 
whatsoever.  But  He  chose  the  natural,  as 
well  as  a  miraculous  way  of  feeding  them. 
His  miracles  are  corelated  to  the  natural 
processes  which  underly  creation.  His  ac- 
tions do  not  clash.  They  correspond.  What- 
ever God  does,  is  miraculous  and  yet  again 
"divinely  natural. '^  While  our  poor,  pur- 
blind race  defines  things  that  happened  for 

30 


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THE      HUNGER      OF      ISRAEL 


thousands  of  years,  as  ^^natural'^  and  things 
that  only  happen  once  in  a  thousand  years 
as  "miraculous,"  God  has  no  such  distinc- 
tion. As  a  matter  of  fact,  we  know  no 
more  of  the  mysterious  process  that  turns 
a  seed  into  a  plant  than  we  know  of  the 
resurrection  of  the  dead.  And  should 
manna  have  rained  regularly  from  the  sky 
during  the  past  six  thousand  years,  we 
should  have  found  this  miracle  just  as  nat- 
ural as  the  falling  of  rain  or  hail,  w^hich 
God  might  have  made  nutritious,  if  He  had 
willed  to  do  so. 

"And  Moses  said  unto  Aaron,  Take  a  pot 
and  put  an  omer  full  of  manna  therein 
and  lay  it  up  before  the  Lord,  to  be  kept 
for  your  generations"  (Ex.  16:33).  "That 
they  may  see  the  bread  wherewith  I  have 
fed  you  in  the  wilderness,"  ( Ex.  16 :  32 ) 
said  the  Lord.  So  Aaron  laid  it  up.  And 
for  decades,  aye  for  centuries,  this  manna 
remained  pure  and  unspoiled,  because  it 
was  kept  in  the  sanctuary,  before  the  Tes- 
timony, the  dwelling-place  of  the  Most 
High.       Whatsoever   God   takes   into   His 

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THE      HUNGER      OF      ISRAEL 

holy  place  is  removed  from  the  laws  of  mor- 
tality and  corruption.  For  such  things 
death  has  ceased  to  be  (Rev.  21:4).  They 
have  entered  the  realms  of  eternity.  Thus 
we  have  in  the  Old  Testament  a  symbol  of 
the  words  of  Christ :  ^Whosoever  liveth  and 
believeth  on  me  shall  never  die''  (John  11: 
26).  All  things  go  back  to  their  source. 
Manna  descended  from  heaven  and  thither 
it  returned. 

Long  after  it  ceased  to  drop  nightly  from 
the  sky,  it  was  preserved  in  the  sanctuary. 
Thus  all  transitory  things,  creation  itself, 
will  be  reabsorbed  by  God.  Purified  by 
fire  it  returns  into  the  Holy  of  Holies.  The 
early  martyrs  entered  the  arena  and  sang : 
^^From  God  we  came;  to  God  we  go!" 
Paul  prophesies  that  ^^God  shall  be  all  in 
all." 

^^And  the  children  of  Israel  did  eat 
manna  forty  years,  until  they  came  to  the 
land  of  Canaan."  We  do  not  read  of  Is- 
rael's gratitude.  Did  they  thank  the  Lord 
for  His  bounty?  Or  did  they  ask  Moses  to 
do  this   for  them?     No.     They  looked   at 

32 


THE      HUNGER      OF      ISRAEL 


the  heavenly  present  and  said,  "man" 
("what  is  it")  ?  Then  they  proceeded  to 
load  themselves  with  it  for  future  emer- 
gencies, notwithstanding  God's  warning. 
Exactly  as  we  do ! !  Who  offers  daily 
thanks  for  the  bread  that  nourishes  us, 
for  strength  of  body  and  soul,  for  friends 
and  relatives,  for  health,  sunshine  and  good 
cheer?  Manna  tastes  good — this  seems  to 
be  the  only  thought.  Who  lives  in  im- 
plicit faith,  without  taking  thought  for  the 
morrow;  who  refrains  from  gathering 
manna  for  the  unknown  future? 

"That  thou  may  est  know  that  man  does 
not  live  of  bread  alone,  but  of  every  word 
that  proceedeth  from  the  mouth  of  Jeho- 
vah" (Deut.  8:3).  In  every  respect,  abso- 
lutely and  relatively,  our  bodies,  souls  and 
minds  live  of  the  word  of  God.  And  not 
only  we,  but  all  angels  of  heaven,  all  devils 
of  hell.  Thy  word,  O  God,  is  their  nour- 
ishment and  ours !  Where,  in  all  creation, 
is  there  a  single  atom  not  made  and  sus- 
tained by  Him?  Did  not  His  word  create 
the  colors  that  please  the  eye,  the  forces 

33 


mm 
THE      HUNGER      OF      ISRAEL 

whose  intricate  relationship  we  call  Na- 
ture? Through  all  the  pores  of  our  body 
we  inhale  the  life-giving  air,  and  our  soul 
receives  impressions,  thoughts,  suggestions 
by  the  contemplation  of  nature.  The  at- 
mosphere we  breathe,  the  ideas  we  con- 
ceive —  all  proceeding  from  the  mouth  of 
God.  Aye,  we  are  words  of  God  ourselves. 
For  this  reason  we  can  live  in  and  of  each 
other.  The  child  is  nourished  not  only 
physically,  but  mentally,  by  its  parents. 
The  man  lives  through  the  woman,  the 
woman  through  the  man,  and  every  human 
being  through  all  those  with  whom  he  came 
in  contact.  And  because  Satan  is  the 
counterpart  of  God,  his  word  is  death  and 
ruins  the  soul.  We  live  by  God^s  everlast- 
ing "Yes;"  we  die  by  Satan's  everlasting 
"No.''  Creation  is  the  very  expression,  the 
word  of  God,  uttered  in  myriads  of  forms 
and  infinite  variations. 

"Jehovah,  thy  God,  bringeth  thee  into  a 
good  land,  a  land  of  brooks  of  water,  of 
fountains  and  depths  that  spring  out  of 
valleys   and  hills;    a  land   of  wheat   and 

34 


THE      HUNGER      OF      ISRAEL 

barley,  and  vines  and  fig  trees;  a  land 
wherein  thou  shalt  eat  bread  without 
scarceness ;  and  when  thou  hast  eaten  thou 
shalt  bless  the  Lord  for  the  good  land 
which  He  hath  given  thee"  (Deut.  8:7-10). 

The  hunger  in  the  wilderness  is  not  of 
eternal  duration.  God  who  makes  us  feel 
want  here,  will  give  us  food  in  abundance. 
This  promise  is  repeated  again  and  again 
throughout  the  Scriptures.  '^To  him  who 
thirsteth  I  will  give  of  the  water  of  life 
freely."  Waters  of  life,  fruits  from  the 
tree  of  life,  words  from  the  mouth  of  God 
will  feed  body,  soul  and  mind.  ^^They  shall 
neither  hunger  nor  thirst,  for  the  Lamb 
will  lead  them  to  fountains  of  living  water." 

Since  time  immemorial  the  poor,  hungry 
race  of  men  has  looked  forward  to  this 
land  of  satisfaction.  The  Arab  under  the 
burning  rays  of  the  desert  sun;  the  inhab- 
itant of  Saharah,  "that  country  of  thirst," 
is  longingly  waiting  for  paradise  where  the 
waters  flow  crystal  clear  and  without  ceas- 
ing. The  Indian  traversing  the  prairie 
for  days  and  weeks  without  a  bite  to  eat; 

35 


IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIH^ 

THE      HUNGEE      OF      ISRAEL 

the  Eskimo  returning  empty-handed  from 
his  fishing  trip;  the  Tunguese  lost  on  the 
frozen  and  shelterless  steppes  —  they  all 
look  for  the  promised  land.  And  the  hu- 
man heart  hungering  for  light  and  life  and 
love,  often  disappointed,  restlessly  seeking 
like  Ulysses,  hopes  ever  for  the  satisfaction 
which  earth  does  not  give.  And  the  Lord 
who  causes  us  to  be  hungry  to  humble  us, 
to  try  us  and  to  know  what  is  in  our  hearts 
and  whether  we  would  keep  His  command- 
ments, will  not  leave  us  to  starvation  and 
want.  He  will  not  give  us  a  stone  when 
we  ask  for  bread,  not  a  scorpion  when  we 
ask  for  a  fish! 

''And  the  manna  ceased  on  the  morrow 
and  the  children  of  Israel  ate  of  the  fruits 
of  the  land  of  Canaan"  ( Josh.  5 :12 ) .  For 
us,  too,  the  day  is  approaching,  when  after 
long  pilgrimage  through  the  burning  wil- 
derness of  this  world,  we  cross  the  Jordan 
to  enter  the  promised  land  where  milk  and 
honey  flow.  This  God  has  sworn  He  will 
give  to  us  for  an  eternal  possession.  Then 
the  earthly  manna,   which   has   taught   us 

36 


THE      HUNGER      OF      ISRAEL 


that  man  does  not  live  by  bread  alone  but 
by  every  word  that  proceeds  from  the 
mouth  of  God,  will  cease  and  we  shall  eat 
of  the  fruits  of  the  promised  land  and 
drink  of  the  clear  fountain  of  life,  which 
quenches  our  thirst  forevermore.  This 
food  will  not  give  us  the  life  eternal  which 
we  already  possess  as  "the  gift  of  God,"  but 
it  will  enrich  this  life  and  deepen  it.  Oh 
that  many  be  called  to  the  joys  of  Canaan ! 


37 


iililillilllilliliiiiiiiiiiililiiillliilllliliiiiiiiiiii IUI Ill iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiliiliiiiilllliiiiiii iiiiiiiiiii mil iiiiiii iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii 

THE     BETTE  X     BOOKS 
NEW!       NEW! 

1 — The  Treatise  on  the  Son  of  God. 

What  Think  Ye  of  Christ? 

From  the  German  of  FR.  BFTTEX. 
By  J.  F.  KRUEGER. 

Price,  bound  in  handsome  artistic  style, 
50  cents. 

THIS  book  in  the  original  has  seen  six  large 
editions  and  is  being  considered  the  strongest 
book  extant  on  the  personality  of  our  Saviour.  In 
thirteen  short  chapters  the  author  treats  the  Bib- 
lical Doctrine  on  the  subject  in  a  most  exhaustive 
manner,  taking  issue  against  the  various  forms  of 
unbelief  in  the  fundamental  doctrine:  JESUS 
CHRIST,  THE  SON  OF  GOD,  THE  GOD-MAN. 

2 — The  Book  on  Creation. 

The  First  Page  of  the  Bible 

By  FR.  BETTEX. 
Translated  from  the  German  by  W.  R. 

Price,  bound  in  vellum, 
20  cents  net,  prepaid. 

REV.  G.  Campbell  Morgan,  D.  D.,  says  :  It  is 
a  long  time  since  I  have  read  anything  that 
has  given  me  more  real  pleasure.  It  is  a  quiet,  dig- 
nified and  scholarly  dealing  with  the  first  chapter 
of  Genesis.  To  my  own  mind  nothing  I  have  seen 
is  quite  equal  to  it,  and  I  should  like  to  know  that 
it  circulates  by  thousands. 

The  Ivutheran  Observer:  This  is  an  examination 
of  the  account  of  creation  as  given  in  Genesis, 
showing  the  harmony  of  the  narrative  with  the 
best  accredited  finding  of  science.  It  abounds  in 
eloquent  descriptions  of  the  wonders  of  nature, 
and  shows  how  all  creation,  through  both  inorganic 
and  organic  ranges,  is  a  perpetual  hymn  in  praise 
of  the  Creator.  A  timely  and  interesting  tract  on 
a  great  subject. 


IJSl     GOOD     TRANSLATIONS 


3 — The  Book  on  the  Miraculous  in  the 
Word  of  God. 

The   Miracle 

Translated  by  H.  M. 
Price,  50  cents. 

THE  book  closes  with  these  well  said  words : 
"We  consider  the  rejection  of  the  miraculous 
a  sign  of  mental  weakness,  and  the  evasion  of  the 
miraculous  like  the  blind  faith  of  the  rustic  who 
has  been  told  that  beyond  the  blue  hills  the  earth 
comes  to  an  end,  and  believed  it.  The  miracle  is 
our  hope  and  delight.  Soon,  for  what  matter  a 
few  centuries,  we  hope  to  rejoice  in  the  wonderful 
body  of  our  resurrection  and  in  a  world  of  heavenly 
miracles  where  we  shall  forever  contemplate  God, 
the  fountain  and  origin  of  all  miracles." 

Says  the  New  York  Observer :  A  vigorous  de- 
fense of  the  idea  of  the  supernatural,  as  unfolded 
in  the  Bible  and  illustrated  in  nature,  written  in 
simple  style,  understandable  by  those  who  have  no 
acquaintance  vdth  the  teachings  of  philosophy. 

4— The  Book  of  the  Day. 

Science  and  Christianity 

By  F.  BETTEX. 
Translated  from  the  German. 

Price,  11.50. 

THE  author  among  other  things  says  in  the 
Preface:  I  wish  to  make  clear  to  my  readers 
how  little  real  science  is  hidden  behind  the  fine 
phrases  and  sounding  words  of  the  infidel,  and  how 
little  he  himself  understands  of  the  material  crea- 
tion which  he  aflBrms  to  be  the  only  one.  *  *  ♦ 
The  Christian  and  Biblical  conception  of  the  uni- 
verse is  more  logical,  more  harmonious,  more  in 
accordance  with  facts,  therefore,  more  scientific 
than  all  philosophies,  all  systems,  materialistic  and 
atheistic. 


Illlllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll^ 

THE     BETTEX     BOOKS 


Contents  of  the  book  : 

Chapter     I.     Progress. 

Chapter   II.     Evolution  and  Modem  Science, 

Chapter  III.     Christians  and  Science. 

Chapter  IV.     Science. 

Chapter  V.  Materialism. 
One  of  the  many  favorable  reviews:  It  is  a  view 
of  much  scope,  and  so  far  as  it  attempts  reconcilia- 
tion between  science  and  Christianity,  is  eminently 
successful.  There  can  be  no  doubt  that  at  present 
when  there  is  so  pronounced  a  disposition  to  follow 
every  fad  in  science,  especially  if  it  opposes  the 
Bible,  such  a  book  should  have  a  wide  reading  and 
is  adapted  to  accomplish  much  good. 

5— The  Best  Book  for  the  Bible  Student. 

The  Bible,  the  Word  of  God 

By  F.  BETTEX. 
Translated  from  the  German. 

Price,  $1.50. 

THIS  striking  volume,  by  this  able,  strong  and 
well-equipped  scholar,  is  another  evidence 
that  the  destructive  higher  criticism  is  spending  its 
force.  Scholarship  is  recoiling  from  its  rational- 
istic methods  audits  false  pretensions.  Its 
guesses,  set  forth  as  truth,  no  longer  pass  unchal- 
lenged. It  is  being  seen  that  the  methods  and 
principals  not  only  challenge  the  testimony  of  the 
Church,  but  of  Christ  Himself.  The  fancies  and 
hypothesis  that  have  and  are  being  set  forth  in  the 
name  of  science  are  simply  preposterous,  having 
no  shred  of  evidence  on  which  to  rest.  It  is  a 
book  that  will  do  the  scholar  of  the  Bible  good  to 
read.  The  opening  discussion  is  on  '  'Knowledge 
and  Faith,"  the  second  on  "The  Bible,"  the  third 
on  "Objections,"  the  fourth  on  "Biblical  Criti- 
cism," the  fifth  and  last  on  "Biblical  Faith." 


IN     GOOD     TRANSLATIONS 


The  Glory  of  the  Triune  God 

By  Fr.  Bettex. 
Translated  by  Andreas  Bard. 

Bound  in  artistic  paper  cover;  size  8x5^. 
68  pages.     Price,  35  cents. 

THREE  VIGOROUS  CHAPTERS. 

1 — Great   Is   the   Lord   and  His   Greatness   Is 
Unsearchable. 

2 — Great  Is  Also  the  Son. 

3 — /  Believe  in  the  Holy  Ghost  Who  Spake  by 
the  Prophets. 

'T^HESE  chapters,  one  on  each  of  the  Trinity, 
-'■  are  true  to  the  revelation  God  made  through 
the  prophets,  and  finally  through  His  Son.  and 
are  devotional  in  character.  There  is  abundant 
evidence  that  Bettex  has  meditated  long  on  the 
deep  things  of  God  and  has  a  heart  warm  with 
the  experience  of  faith.  He  is  happy  in  his  con- 
ception and  presentation  of  the  Majesty  and 
Holiness  of  God,  and  makes  one  conscious  of  His 
presence.  The  treatment  of  the  inspiration  of 
the  Bible  in  the  chapter  on  the  Holy  Ghost  is 
logical  and  convincing.  The  truths  we  have 
learned  from  our  childhood,  and  that  now  beat 
hopefully  within  us,  find  an  able  defender  in 
Prof.   Bettex.     Take   and   read. 


iirmiiiiiiiiMiiiiriiiiiiiiMiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiimiMiiiiMMiiiiiiMtMiiiiMifiiiiiiiii 


THE     BETTEX     BOOKS 


The  Word  of  Truth 

By  Fr.  Bettex. 
Translation  by  Andreas  Bard.. 

Bound  in  flexible  doth,  size  5^^  x  7^. 

Price,  50  cents. 

T^  HREE  things  may  be  said  of  this  little  book : 
•*■  1 — It  holds  the  attention;  2 — It  is  easy  to 
read;  3 — It  does  what  the  author  has  written  it 
to  do,  as  he  states  in  his  foreword,  "To  reassure 
those  faltering  in  faith."  It  is  a  good  book  for 
everybody  and  especially  for  those  whose  faith 
in  the  Book  of  Books  is  wavering. 


The  Bible 
and  Modern  Criticism 

By  Fr.  Bettex. 

Bound  in  modern  pamphlet  style  and  printed  in 
two  colors.     Price,  20  cents;  dozen,  $1.80. 

T^HE  title  of  this  book  is  an  accurate  descrip- 
-'-  tion  of  its  contents.  It  is  an  able,  pointed, 
simple,  profound,  easily-to-be-understood  pre- 
sentation of  the  unreasonableness  of  the  ground 
occupied  by  critics  who  would  substitute  reason 
for  orthodoxy. 

Says  the  Herald  of  Gospel  Liberty:  "Bettex 
strikes  sledgehammer  blows  at  the  theory  of 
higher  criticism  and  bravely  stands  for  the 
Bible." 


Caylord  Bros. 

Makers 
Syracuse,  N.  Y. 

PAT.  JAN.  21.  1908 


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